There has been considerable progress in understanding political
processes and their foundations in the United States and other
developing democracies. This progress has also generated new and
exciting controversies, and a wide array of unresolved questions
confronts a new generation of analyst. In this seminar, we consider
some highlights of this scholarship. Key questions and themes
include the comparative diversity of political economies; the
nature and measurement of mass opinion; this historical
interrelationship between political ideas and social groups; and
linkages between voters, political parties and social
movements, and policy outputs.
Our topical focus is driven, in part, by the 2009 Social
Research Practicum and the upcoming collection of computer]
assisted telephone interviews with approximately 1,200 adult
Americans in May/June. Our readings, discussions, and the
required paper provide the background for understanding the
research goals, methods, and theoretical payoff of the
project. For first]year graduate students in Sociology, the
seminar paper will form the front]end of the M.A. thesis.
For graduate students with general interests in political sociology,
survey research, or American politics, this seminar provides an
introduction to these fields.